Improvement in the manufacture of eyelet-stocks



'Patented Mar. 21, 1871.

afjl l S. N. SMITH.

Making Eyelets.

)tFEl'ERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAPMER, WASHINGTOQ. D. Q

mmesses. I

ctnitd $21M taunt tffim STEPHEN N. SMITH, or rnovrpnncn, nnonu ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 112,973, datedMarch 21, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT m rns MANUFACTURE OF' EYELET-STOC KS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent animaldng part of the lame.

piece of said eyelet-stock in the several stages of the development of the eyelet-shape.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. r

My invention relates to the manufacture of eyelets;

and

The invention consists in a new process of forming the eyelet, and in a set of punches and dies specially constructed for carrying out or applying the process, and. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. 7

My invention consists in atffirst projecting from the metal strip, by a single operation, a conoid containing. the requisite quantity of the metal in greater bulk, and drawn to the full length of the proposed eyelet, and afterward contracting the diameter of the conoid by suitable means, and under circumstances that shall prevent any addition to the length'of the barrel pr, tube of the eyelet, to the size and form of the eyelet.

In fig. 3 of the drawing M is the plain strip of metal.

1 1 l are the conoids displaced therefrom.

2 2 are the conoids partially contracted laterally.

.3 ,3, the same fully contracted to the form and size of the eyelet, which is separated from the strip by punching out the bottom or close end and cutting the flange from the strip in the usual way by the lines a a.

In thus, at first, projecting from the strip, at a sin gle operation, the requisite quantity of metal drawn out to the full length for the eyelet, the entire stretching operation is performed at once, when the metalis in its original soft and malleable condition; and by projecting the metal in the form of a conoid, as shown, of larger bulk laterally than the proposed eyelet, it-is only necessary to afterward contract or bend inward the outward swelling sides of the conoid to convert it into an eyelet shape, of which the length is already developed.' 7

It will be perceived that the conoid 1 is of the full length of the complete eyelet-shape 3, but of greater bulk, its form in transverse section vertically being nearly a perfect parabola, and without any angles, and that this swelling bulk is disposed of by the after contracting operation in the formation of the spreadingflange of the tapering barrel and sqnare end of the eyelet-shape 3.

It will beunderstood that the full length and excessive bulk of this-parabolic conoid 1 is developed from the strip at first, and by a single operation, when the metal is in its softest and most malleable condition, and mostcapable of undergoing the severe stretching consequent upon a sudden displacement of so large a quantity and bulk of metal from a flat condition, and that the parab'olic-conoidal form of displacement is best calculated to stretch the metal uniformly from the apex to its base without liability to puncture or burst through the metal, at the same time leaying the uniformly-stretched metal in .a position or form to be readily converted into the eyelet-shape by merely con ,tracting its bulk, without anymore stretching of the metal in any direction, so that the process of annealing to soften the metal between the operations is unnecessary.

This improved eyelet-stock consisting of parabolic conoids, formed and-contracted to the eyelet-shape on a strip of metal, may be successfully produced by means of the series of co-0porating punches and dies shown in figs. 1 and'2, of which the punch Acooperates with the die B'toproduce the parabolic-conoid form 1 in the fiat strip.

The punch O co-operates with the die I) to partially contract the conoid 1 and produce the approximate eyelet form 2 2,-and the punch E co-operates with the die 1 to-still further contract the metal shape 2 2 and produce the complete eyelet-shape 3 3.

It will beobserved that the dies B D F resemble each other in form, and differ only ingra'dations of contraction; also, that the first punch A is aparabolic conoid in form, and that, in connection with its die B, it reproduces its form in sheet metal in the parabolic conoid 1 of the stock. 1

The punch G is frusto-conical'in form, but of the same length as the coniodal punch A, and in connec- 7 'tion with its die D it contracts the swelling bulk of the conoid 1 'into'the approximate eyelet form 2 2.

The punch E is cylindrical, and of the same length as the others, and, in connection with its die F, it still further contracts the form 2 2 to the complete eyelet- It will be understood that the parabolicconoidal form 1 that is projected from the strip is due to the form of the punch'A, over which the metal is stretched by being forced into the die B, the edge at the entrance it forms with the frnsto-conical punch is rounded, and tends to form the corner of the flange of the eyelet. When, therefore, the parabolic couoid 1 is placed in the die 1) and the punch 0 brought down to perform its operation, the punch 0 in its descent will come in confast with the bottom of the cup and drive the cup down into the die; and, as the diameter of both die and punchis less than that of the cup, the wall of the latter will, by the operation, be pressed inward to and against the punch, while the excess of the metal in the cup so displaced will be forced upward out of the die, and he deflected laterally by the shoulder of the punch, and thus ultimately become the flange of the eyelet.

The cylindrical punch E has the same length fromt-hershoulder to its end, and holds the frusto-conical form 2 2 in the same manner to protect its length, as descrihed,iw-ith reference to punch O, and being thus held, is forced into the die E, which still further rednces the size of the metal shape laterally, the contraction, as in the previous operation, being due to the diminished size of the die F from that of the die E, the punch merely serving to carry andpreserve the length and shape the, flange of the eyelet near its junction with the strip. In this manner the part of the operation that is allotted to each of the sets of punches and dies to perform as' described, is calculated to enable the operations to be conducted consecutively with the greatest rapidity without the intervention of any other process or appliance whatsoever.

Having deseribedmy invention,

7 I do not claim prepared eyelet-stocl generally, as I am aware that the same has been made and used in certain formsjbefore; but i I claim- 1. The herein-described process of forming continuous stripsof eyelet blanks,-that is to say, successively projecting from said strip cups of depth equal to and of diameter greater than that of the finished eyelet, and then contracting the diameter of said cup by forcing it, by a punch of a suitable size and shape, intoadie, the latter'bei'ng so shaped as toimpart to the'blanlr the proper eyelet form.

2. The series of dies. and punches constructed and operating as described, whereby eyelets are made in the manner and by the process above described.

Witnesses: STEPHEN N. SMITH.

Issac A. Bnownnnn, DAVID HEATON. 

